UR Medicine sets up shop in all 17 YMCA of Greater Rochester branches

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Virginia Butler

This is an artist rendering of the Southeast YMCA that will be built at Clover Street and Jefferson Road in PIttsford. The branch is expected to have UR Medicine clinic has part of an agreement that expands UR Medicine's footprint into all the branches of the Greater Rochester YMCA.(Photo11: Provided)

Story Highlights

UR Medicine to embed health programs in every YMCA

Programs may vary by location, and medical clinics will be at select sites

Y members won't be charged for wellness programs, and some programs will be open to nonmembers

Collaboration is part of national trend between Ys and health providers in those communities

The signs when you walk in to work out will leave no doubt about where you are.

“YOU ARE at the Y” with the U and R highlighted, will be visible outside and inside as UR Medicine establishes itself in all 17 branches of the YMCA of Greater Rochester.

The agreement, which was announced Tuesday and runs through 2029, formalizes a pilot program that put a UR Medicine clinic in the Eastside Family YMCA in Penfield. UR Medicine also had provided flu vaccinations and nutrition classes at some other branches.

“The Y is dedicated to the health of the community, as are we,” said Dr. Michael Rotondo, chief executive officer of the University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group. “We can capitalize on where our missions overlap.”

Specifics on the types of programs at each YMCA still are being figured out.

“Each of these Ys are in very different neighborhoods and require different things,” Rotondo said. “Over the course of a particular day, different populations stream through the Y. We want to make sure that we are able to match the needs of the members.”

YMCA chief executive officer George Romell said members of different Ys were part of the planning and will have the opportunity for input into programs offered at their branch.

The YMCA of Greater Rochester and UR Medicine are collaborating on wellness programs.(Photo11: Provided by YMCA of Greater Rochester and UR Medicine)

Romell said UR health professionals would provide a “robust menu of services” that, depending on the needs of the branch, could include blood pressure screenings, a diabetes management program or seminars on wellness topics. He said telemedicine could be used in branches with day care. Programs could be run by staff from Center for Community Health and Prevention and the School of Nursing.

“We’re an ice cream store — we have 17 flavors of ice cream,” Romell said. “Every Y has a little bit different flavor."

As with the Eastside Y, the new Southeast Y that is scheduled to open next year at the intersection of Jefferson Road and Clover Street will have a UR medical office. Romell did not commit to having a clinic in other branches.

The enhanced collaboration started Tuesday with UR Medicine events at three branches. Romell and Rotondo said the full program would roll out over the next year and be in place in 2019.

“Year One I expect is a year of trying many, many options,” Romell said.

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Participation in UR Medicine wellness programs at a Y would not cost extra. “We see this as value added,” Rotondo said.

Some programs would be available to Y neighbors who are not members, Romell said. He said about 25 percent of YMCA members receive financial assistance.

Rotondo declined to release information about the financial agreement between UR Medicine and the YMCA for the collaboration. Romell said that recent increases in some levels of membership were unrelated to the agreement and were pegged to labor costs.

According to a news release announcing the collaboration, more than half the YMCAs across the nation are working with a health provider in their communities.

In this case, the partners have the potential for cross-marketing.

Active UR employees are eligible for special membership packages at the Y. The university is the area's largest employer, with 30,815 workers.

UR Medicine will have access to the 100,000 Y members, giving them the opportunity to market health care services to people who aren't already its patients.